It’s practically unheard of – certainly in recent history – for two technological innovations of such magnitude to come along at once. But that’s exactly what’s happening with artificial intelligence and 5G. Both technological leaps forward have the potential individually to massively transform the economic and business fabric in virtually every sector. But together, the combination of these two technologies could push profits and transformations even further, leading to a profound impact on global economies. 

According to a study by ABI Research, 5G & AI: the foundations for the next societal and business leap, combining artificial intelligence and 5G could generate some $17.9 trillion by 2035, or 9.7% of the global GDP. It’s only logical that “natural trends” will soon see these two technologies converging as they begin to work in tandem. But how exactly will these benefits look and how will the two innovations interact with one another?

Why are businesses going all in on artificial intelligence?

Companies aren’t just choosing to “ride the AI wave” in the hope something will come of it simply because it’s popular – far from it. Generative artificial intelligence models can offer a wide variety of benefits to companies in lots of different sectors. Some examples include:

• More efficient systems. When artificial intelligence models are applied to technology systems that are already in operation, it automatically make them more efficient, as long as the models are well “trained” with the right data in the appropriate context.
• Greater productivity and efficiencies in processes. At the same time, all the different production processes where AI is involved can start producing the same results but in far less time, since they’re specifically designed to automate one or more of these processes efficiently and without the need for human intervention.
• Less operational complexity. Efficient processes mean far less complexity in a company’s operations in practically any sector, whether it’s industrial, retail or anything else. This means organisations can focus on excellence at every point of the value chain, without having to worry that things may falter, as they have a smart support network behind them they can rely on.
• Fewer mistakes = lower costs. Efficient and fast processes without any failures is any company’s ultimate goal. Of course, it all depends on properly “training” your artificial intelligence model for the specific tasks involved but, once you’ve achieved that, any mistakes will all but disappear overnight. And that means direct cost savings.

5G, the perfect ‘landing zone’ for artificial intelligence

The main reason people think 5G could be the perfect ally for artificial intelligence is that it creates the ideal conditions for it to do its job effectively. 5G technology allows massive amounts of information to be transferred at really low latency. That’s exactly what artificial intelligence needs, both during the “training” process and when rolling out its full potential, being able to operate at maximum capacity without the rest of the system suffering.

Remember, one of the key virtues of artificial intelligence is that it “learns” what it has to do over time by looking for patterns, analysing information structures, searching and diving deep into the data stacks provided for specific tasks. But once it’s up and running, that “learning” process doesn’t simply grind to a halt with AI, but rather increases exponentially.

This results in significant bandwidth consumption, which could start to act like an anchor on a company’s resources. However, 5G makes sure all operations and processes keep ticking over to ensure the results expected of them can be delivered smoothly and without any bottlenecks developing. Investing in artificial intelligence is the right strategic move at the moment, but doing so alongside 5G technology means ensuring the long-term sustainability of that decision over time, rather than just another here today, gone tomorrow idea.